Cuckoo

Cuckoo

The cuckoo has grown to fame through the loud and distinctive call produced by one species of cuckoo, the common cuckoo. The common cuckoo is found in Europe and Asia and can be recognized by grey plumage on the head and neck with black and white barring decorating the underparts. The common cuckoo is quite banal in comparison to other more flamboyant species of cuckoo, some highlighted with streaks of red, green and yellow. There are 2 subfamilies of cuckoo. They are considered parasitic as the female cuckoo lays her egg in another birds' nest. When the young cuckoo hatches, the chick instinctively pushes all other eggs or hatchlings from the nest, ensuring its own survival. [BM] {FW}